Tuesday, May 15, 2012

If you like chewy cookies, this one's for you. These cookies are also full of peanut flavor, since there's no flour of any kind to dilute the nutty taste. It's another gluten-free and dairy-free recipe in honor Celiac Awareness Month.

I do not have celiac, but I have tremendous empathy for people who can't eat gluten (in the case of celiac) or other common food allergens, like dairy. As a recipe developer, I find gluten-free baking fascinating because of all the gluten-free grains and starches there are to work with (although if I was forced to bake only gluten-free for life, I might be singing a different tune).

I'm happy that I can create and post some recipes for those with celiac or gluten intolerances. Unlike the scones in my last post, however, these cookies are SUPER simple. With just a few ingredients, and NO GRAINS AT ALL, they take no time to put together. I included weight measurements, but since there are no flours involved, you don't need a scale (but it does make measuring all that sticky peanut butter crazy-fast).

I considered skipping the chocolate and doing straight-up peanut butter cookies, but then I spontaneously regained my sanity and decided to add chocolate chunks. They are Enjoy Life brand, so they're dairy free. I'm snobby about good chocolate, so I didn't have high hopes for this stuff, but I was oh-so wrong--they're great. I love how the chunks look in these cookies, but their large size makes it harder to form the dough into balls. Regular-size chips would probably make it easier, but as you can see, I muddled through. The dough is much easier to handle if it's chilled, so plan that into your baking time.

These cookies bake up crisp at the edges and soft and very
chewy in the centers. They are ridiculously easy to put together, and without
any flour the peanut flavor really shines. The original recipe calls for creamy
peanut butter, so that will definitely work. I don’t know about natural nut
butters, but they will likely produce a very different finished product. I didn’t
measure out my chocolate chips by volume, but it should be about 3/4 cup.

Makes 20 to 22 cookies (recipe should double easily)

258 grams chunky peanut butter (not natural; I used Jif) (1
cup)

165 grams light brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

3 ounces dairy-free chocolate chips

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine peanut butter, sugar,
vanilla, baking soda, salt and egg. Mix on lowest speed until just combined
(you can also use a handheld mixer or stir by hand). Increase speed to
medium-low and mix until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Add chips and mix
on lowest speed until combined.

Transfer bowl to freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat oven
to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop rounded tablespoon-sized balls of dough, shaping them
into balls with your hands as necessary (dough is very chunky, so you’ll have
to press it together) and place on prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches
apart. Flatten balls VERY slightly. Bake in the center of the oven, one sheet
at a time, until edges are light golden brown, 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking
sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Thank you for the read. Honestly you covered the topic and broadly examined all areas. If i was to write this i promptessay.com would have done a few things differently myself but you have definitely inspired me to get into the world of blogging. Thanks heaps for the post i really appreciate it. Have a good day and keep blogging:)

Julie O'Hara Chicago, IL

Welcome! I'm a freelance recipe developer and writer for magazines like Shape, Clean Eating and National Geographic Traveler. View my work at julieoharawriter.com. I love your emails and comments--thanks for reading!